RampArt

Bus Stop Opera: The raddest thing I've ever done

2010-05-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

We just had our last performance today, so it won't be posted on the website yet, but if you want to know more about the concept and creator of Bus Stop Opera, here's a link.
And today's OregonLive.

Haha. If you look closely in the picture in today's Oregonian in the Arts section, you'll see a tiny me in my Trimet outfit (the newspaper has a larger version of this image). I'm looking the other way, so my face isn't recognizable, but it's me!

Our last day of performances went well considering the different conditions we were given like rainy weather, and a hospitalized tuba player. All in all, a really enjoyable and memorable experience. The best part was receiving the confused, shocked, and eventually pleased looks on people when I suddenly started singing to them.
Everyone involved in the show was positive and enthusiastic, and as far as I could tell, there was no pretentiousness. Lots of smiles. The energetic environment helped me to be less nervous, although I still had butterflies sometimes!
I was a stand-in for another singer who suddenly became ill this weekend. I am thankful I had the opportunity to do so many performances with the troupe (9 out of 12 performances- 3 performances a day) We each sang just one song, which were taken from dialogue that the director/coordinator obtained through conversations with everyday people at Portland Trimet stops. The dialogues were then composed into songs by various people. My character was "Diana" the bus driver. I wish I could meet the real Diana.
Out of the six singers, my song came first. On one hand, being first was disappointing because it provided me with a small audience (sometimes no audience at all!) since nobody was expecting a show to happen right there and then. On the other hand, I had the highest element of surprise. :D
Even if there isn't a musical/opera/dance troupe around to join, I highly encourage anyone to burst out into song or prose or clog dancing if the moment strikes you- even at bus stops.
I am a bit hypocritical since I probably won't do anything like this again unless it's with an organized group. ;)

Kudos to:

The directors and coordinators of Bus Stop Opera- it wouldn't exist without you!

The musicians and singers- a talented bunch!

The Original- they provided us with a nice dinner! Yum!

Time-on-Time- a "fellow" bus driver who enjoyed my singing. I guess he's never late?

Trimet Maintenance- I had an enjoyable conversation with a man involved in that department.

My First Exhibit!

2010-05-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

Tonight was my first official art exhibit. It was awesome to see my work framed and hanging in a gallery. All the pieces I showed were created in PSU classes, so it's like a recent retrospect of my school work. Haha.

My dad took these pictures. With him around, I don't ever have to worry about hiring a professional photographer. :)

This series is made up of acrylic paint and unique, textured papers. I'm working on a new series now which is going to consist mostly of paper. It's a fun medium!

My boss bought this picture (above photo). He was almost more enthusiastic about the show than I was! It is at my work, by the way, which is a gallery/framing/art supply store. He did all the framing + made postcards and posters + he hung the ones that needed to be hung. The only thing I did to prepare for the show was mop the floor!

I had a lot of fun. Lots of friends and family stopped by to see the show. They made my night. :) It wouldn't have been nearly as fun without them!

Life Drawing at home!

2010-04-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Posemaniacs.com
This website has 3D renderings of male and female humans posing in traditional figurative drawing poses. You can download the "Random Pose" application onto your iPod or iPhone- of which I have neither.

"No, you are dead Pinocchio. Lie down."

2010-02-17T21:39:00.000-08:00

Watching Walt Disney films as an adult is a completely different experience than watching them as a kid. Tonight I popped in the VHS of Pinocchio and enjoyed the movie with my sisters, and I realized why as a kid I had nightmares of Monstro the Whale- he's scary as heck! In fact, the whole movie is scary! I didn't realize as a child that this film is a dark fantasy story. It's not just about a puppet boy who can do cute little tricks. There's a not-so-subtle moral to it about being a good little boy and doing what your parents and crickets tell you to do. For some reason I didn't catch onto that moral as a kid. I think I was spacing out to much on the art of the movie.
And the donkey thing?!

"I wanna go home to my mama!" was what one of the poor little donkey-boys cried to his captors. For some reason I don't remember that scene scaring me as a child, but seeing it today kinda pulled at my heartstrings! And they don't even resolve it! The audience is left to assume that the donkey-kids are doomed to eating hay and working at a salt mine for the rest of their lives.
Disney, your movie is freaky, and when I was a kid it made me feel uneasy and gave me nightmares of being chased by an angry whale. Now, I appreciate the dark approach to the story, and more so the quality of the animation and the detailed paintings incorporated within the film.
Also, thank you for Jiminy Cricket. Without him, the movie would be horribly depressing. BTY, is that the voice of Mickey Mouse?
Carlo Collodi wrote the original story of Pinnochio which began as a strip in the newspaper then later published into a book. This website contains every page of the original story, "Adventures of Pinnochio", as written by Carlo Collodi and illustrated decades later in 1926 by Attilio Mussino, translated into English. It is BEAUTIFUL!

I looooooove clowns. Almost every page has an illustration.

The moral of the story is less than just doing what's right, but more about respecting your parents and appreciating the sacrifices they've made for you.
There must be a place somewhere out there or online where I can get these kinds of books for my own collection.

EDIT: I bought the book. It is LOVELY!

Happy Art! :D

2010-01-13T17:36:00.000-08:00

I learned about this book which encourages art, color, and happiness!:

http://www.lithe-apathy.com/colors_artbook/

All proceeds go to the National Organization of Rare Disorders, so these people are charitable AND talented!

TheFunTheory.com also hopes to inspire happiness. Here's the latest they've done:

Echochrome

2009-12-28T16:45:00.000-08:00

The name of the game Echochrome is about as sweet as the game itself. I first came upon it when my little sister and I went to the M.C. Escher exhibition at the Portland Art Museum last Fall. Of course it was the only thing that little sis enjoyed about the visit, but I was definitely impressed by the game as well.

This Christmas, my older sis and her hubby decided to spoil my family by buying us a PS3. I'm so out of it when it comes to modern game systems, but I learned today that you can download games off the internet and straight into the PS3... That is so awesome! So the first game I get is Echochrome. Simply put: it's trippy.

Basically you are dealing with a three dimensional world using Escher type logic. The concept is as simple as a tetris game or pac-man, and everything is white except for the black outline that forms the objects. I don't know how to explain this game any better, so here are some Google pics to show ya what I'm talking about:The manequin guy is falling through the hole, but he is going to land on the object that is two dimensionally below him.

You can custom make levels. In fact, most of the levels you play are custom made by people like you and me.

In conclusion, if you've got a PS3 or you know somebody with a PS3, download Echochrome, especially if you like thinker-type games. Oh, and the background music is beautiful, too.

24 Hour Comics!

2009-12-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

First, meet Invisible Man.

Now go here and see my comic that I did for the annual 24 hour comic challenge at the beginning of October. I can't believe I haven't posted this earlier! Read the other comics, too, because they are awesome. I did "Circus", and my brother-in-law did "The Haber-Dash." There's also some flickr pics of the cafe- called Backspace- that hosted the event.

I LOVE 24 hour comic day, and I encourage any artist, doodler, or comic book fan to try it out!

Do you Yudu?

2009-12-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

Today a customer asked me if we had a screen printing product from a company called Yudu. It's suppost to be the new hi-tech printing wonder. I looked it up and didn't find it any more useful or easy to use than any other screen printing kit. It can hook up to a computer, but I'm not sure what the use of that is. The website was vague on that part.

I have yet to learn the ways of screen printing, but hope to find the time. Here's some websites that offer to print your own custom designs onto clothing, mugs, bumper stickers, bags, and a whole bunch more:

CustomInk (6 shirt minimum)

BrokenArrowWear (they offer a huge variety of different brandname clothing, 6 shirt minimum)

Zazzle (The best as far as custom making freedom and options, no purchasing minimum)

I designed some shirts on these websites just for fun, without ordering anything. Zazzle has the best options for letter fonts, and you can upload any jpeg or bitmat image from your computer. Cost for one sweater is about $34. The cost for a pair of keds shoes is $60- pricey, but it is fun to design one just for kicks and giggles.

I found images on the computer and applied it to the design of the above shoe (Toucan, orange flowers, and a whale tale). The nerd with the glasses is me in my 7th grade photo.

Toucan!

Whale tale!

And finally, some homemade slippers somebody created using only dollar store items! I currently am researching to see if there are instructions on making ones own outdoor shoes, but this is fun, too!

2009-12-16T10:36:00.000-08:00

I'm posting this to win a contest, but in all reality I DO LOVE this blog. It is witty, wise, and... whimsical? Anyway, I enjoy reading the blog, and so might you! Also, the chick lives in the Portland area, so she's got an in on all the local shops! Check it out!

Daddy Likey

Hats n' stuff!

2009-12-01T15:59:00.000-08:00

I really like the hippy, old-world style that's goin' on right now. Bohemian might be the word. These headbands and combs from whichgoose are a bit wild, but I would wear them if the price was a bit better.

Whiteowl uses recycled materials.

I could see these shawl-like scarves being worn by some of my college art professors as well as on chic students. Made by kiamichi7.

Since we're talking about handmade accessories...

I crocheted this hat myself! I'm so proud! I'm going to make one similar to it for my older sister for Christmas. My little sis is the model. :}

2009-11-22T16:51:00.000-08:00

Jeanne-Claude, who with her husband Christo created amazing temporary artworks, past away on November 18, 2009. Every art class you enter will at one time or another mention this couple who have over 30 years of works under their belts. The materials they've used are usually large pieces of fabrics.
Here are some of the things they did together:

So far that I've seen in art history and studio classes, "The Gates" in Central Park are the most mentioned out of all of Cristo and Jean-Claude's works.

This is my favorite installation!

The Pont Neuf piece is also often discussed in art class.

2009-11-09T08:48:00.001-08:00

Now this is my idea of what social practice art should be, although, these people may not consider themselves as social practice artists:

Right now the people at thefuntheory.com are accepting applications for more fun ideas on how to make the world a better place (one little step at a time). You could win 2500 pounds! Hopefully they could convert that money to American dollars?

The costume I made for Halloween 2009!:

My dad took the pictures and I guess he thought the branch hanging in front was artistic?

Tights!

Coincidentally, my friend Brit had the same Harlequinn theme idea for her costume this year. We were rockin' the monochrome that day.

Home Style

2009-10-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder
if I could live
in a simplistic,
ultra-modern house
where straight and curvy lines
are highly defined
by bright, boldly colored
and broad shaped furniture.
Then I look up a company
like Ligne Roset
and think,
yeah, I could live in that
as long as I have a studio
where I can throw paint around
as well as a separate house
for my future kids.

I like the clean look of contemporary furniture and interior design. The desire probably stems from growing up in a 70's house with a family of 7 people.

These chairs look like you could fall asleep in them.

I have a fetish for walls. It comes up in my art a lot.

This chair, called "Tip Up Chair," is aimed for video gamers... I have no idea why.

I also would love to have a room like this in my home, but I wouldn't feel comfortable, nor would I be able to eat macaroni and cheese in front of the fireplace.

In reality, if I were to somehow acquire fancy, contemporary, and EXPENSIVE furniture, I'd have to pull a plastic cover over all of it. It would just be one, big plastic sheet draped across the inside of the house. Squeak noises would echo through the rooms and hallways.

Bonus: take a look at these 21 insane shoes!

Sterling Hairbrush

2009-10-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago there was a six hour evening event held at the Portland Art Museum called "Shine A Light." It consisted of booze, music, and community involvement. A majority of the people who contributed to the event are part of- as a professor or student- the Portland State University Art and Social Practice MFA program. There were many booths to visit which were tucked away in different areas of the maze-like museum. I only stayed for a couple of hours, but was able visit a few of the booths.
The first one I found was run by Jason Zimmerman. His request from those of us who passed by was that we donate an object. Some suggestions were a piece of jewelry, a disposable coffee cup, or chewed gum, etc. I donated my small hairbrush which until then I carried with me everywhere, although I hardly ever used it. All the objects would later on be plated in silver. Here's how my hairbrush turned out:

Sweeet. I only wish I could use it now to brush my hair, but since I signed the paper, Zimmermann owns it now. Harrell Fletcher, a former teacher of mine, led a booth which also requested something from the visitors. He asked that we e-mail him photographs we've taken on our cell phones so that he could print them out as a larger size, frame them and place them next to the professional photos in the museum's gallery. The visitors could then take their pictures home at the end of the event. Well, I sent Fletcher a picture, but I didn't stay long enough to see it be hung and to take it home. I wonder if it was tossed in the trash. This is my picture:

Other booths I visited was an "art and labor" themed Apples to Apples game, and a talk on endangered languages. The Print Factory was also at the museum that night, which I was excited to see, but I didn't make a print. I hope this event happens again soon.

Laika Studios

2009-09-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

This week I started Flash animation class (I've accomplished the bouncy ball- watch out Disney!), and I got to thinking about Laika Studios which is located somewhere in or around Portland. "Coraline" was filmed in Hillsboro, but I don't think that is the company's permanent location. Anyways, I found this clip which is a bit unusual, but Henry Selick is in it which could make it worth watching for some people:
http://laikastudios.com/entertainment/

Nice hair, guys.

Faux Hawk

2009-09-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

Faux Hawks. An amazing gender-neutral hairstyle I would consider having if I weren't growing out my hair. Amazing that it is though, I can't help but sense of bit of pretentiousness from it as if the person wearing it wants the rebel look without the cost a real mo-hawk demands, which is to shave part of one's own head...

...Still, it's my favorite modern hairstyle.

Two Unrelated Things

2009-09-26T23:38:00.000-07:00

I've never heard of this place in Portland. I wonder how I could find it:
http://www.dreiseitl.de/index.php?id=526&lang=en&choice=17&ansicht=bild6

Also,

This stresses me out. It feels uneven, and I can't stop looking at the red circle. Art like this excites me!
Found image on http://www.portlandart.net/archives/2009/09/looking_at_new.html

Bowling

2009-09-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

Last night my brother hosted a "Quitting My Awful Job" party. At the same time I was internally celebrating my "Getting Back My Old Job" party. For my brother's party we all went bowling.
Ever since I got a digital camera about 6th months ago I've taken hundreds of photos of my family and friends whilst partaking in road trips, reunions, and parties. When I began this blog I realized that I have very few photographs of me. This is what happens when you are the dedicated photographer in the family (next to my dad who has a thousand dollar camera but only takes pictures of birds and strangers [not in a creepy way]).
I found myself again taking out my camera from its little Mary Kay bag (the camera fits perfectly there!) and snapping shots of my family hurling 10-14 pound balls down towards the evasive pins. I thought, "Hey, maybe this is an opportunity to get some nice pictures of me while other people are waiting to bowl." So, I handed the camera to my mom and asked her to take some pictures... this is what I got:

Not quite the lovely portrait I was looking for. After I finished laughing, I thought about what it would be like if this picture WAS considered an artistic monument in photography- or painting, or sculpture. So I embedded myself into the world of fine arts to see if I could find a place where my clumsy and awkward charm might fit in.Taking a stroll through the Portland Art Museum

Edvard Munch

Edgar Degas

Claude Monet

Toulouse-Lautrec

Dai Dudu, Li Tiezi, Zhang An, 2006

Scinvisible Tattoo Revue

Salvador Dali... I feel at home here.

What's to Come

2009-09-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

This blog is meant for my selfish purpose to write anything about anything- or anyone. I am not trying to be a journalist. Writing, let alone speaking, has never been my forte. I became an artist because I hated to read (although I've grown out of that) and because a topic that was mathematical in any meaning put the gears in my brain to a screeching halt. Maybe having a blog will gradually improve my "okay" sentences into an exciting grammatical, satirical, adventure.

This is all I have to write for today. I'll just end by previewing what may come out of this blog:
1. Reviews and biased opinions about postpostmodern art and everything that comes before it.
2. Reviews and biased opinions about my own art.
3. Girlish ogling over apparel that I can't afford.
4. Girlish ogling over celebrity men that I can't afford.
5. Dark and dreary comments about how life is unfair (this is predicted to happen about every 28 days).